Hear Taylor and his co-host Liz Harrison talk about everything from the past week – from politics, to news, to books, and entertainment. Whatever comes to mind, and of course, sobriety is not likely.

Tonight: It’s the Post-Halloween edition of “Saturday Night Cigar Lounge with Taylor.” He’s feeling a little non-political today, so it may be more of a relax and chill episode with Liz Harrison, but no guarantees…She’s already made fun of him for having two Texas flags in his apartment…

Hear Taylor and his co-host Liz Harrison talk about everything from the past week – from politics, to news, to books, and entertainment. Whatever comes to mind, and of course, sobriety is not likely.

Tonight: Tonight is special because Texas Senator Ken Paxton joins to discuss his run for Attorney General. Why is he running? What makes him different from his opponents, state Representative Dan Branch and Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman? Could he draw in libertarians? What does he think about Battleground Texas?

Hear Taylor and his co-host Liz Harrison talk about everything from the past week – from politics, to news, to books, and entertainment. Whatever comes to mind, and of course, sobriety is not likely.

Tonight: Tonight is Texas politics and cigar talk with Scott Braddock! He’s not just from Texas…he’s OF Texas. Also expect some TX/OU weekend talk to, but only if we’re either A) Shocked at how much OU beats TX by or B) Shocked TX actually makes it a decent game.

While President Obama is signalling that he’s willing to talk with Iran’s president, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is calling for an attack. While he admits that it’s not likely that he’ll get enough support to carry out any military action against Iran, Graham is insisting that it is something that the U.S. must do, to protect our interests in the region – or more importantly, to protect Israel.

“The mixed message and the debacle called Syria can’t be repeated when it comes to Iran,” Graham continued. “So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to get a bipartisan coalition together. We’re going to put together a use-of-force resolution allowing our country to use military force as a last resort to stop the Iranian nuclear program, to make sure they get a clear signal that all this debacle about Syria doesn’t mean we’re confused about Iran.”

Beyond the issue of involving the U.S. in yet another war, one issue with Graham’s proposal would be defining exactly what “last resort” is, especially in light of the current problem in Syria, with Obama’s “red line” on chemical weapons. While Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did define what the limit should be in regard to Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, that may not be the line the U.S. would want to draw. While attempts at diplomacy are being considered now with the President Hassan Rouhani, it’s also true that any talks are not likely to cause Iran to stop the centrifuges that are rapidly moving toward the point of producing weapon-level nuclear material.

But it seems at this point that Republicans will waste a great opportunity to retake the Senate for the third time in a row.

What are the mistakes the GOP is making? The same ones as always: allowing extremist, fringe groups like the Club for the Growth of the Democratic Caucus to bring down electable, mainstream Republican candidates who don’t meet these extremist group’s purist standards, and nominating utterly unelectable, fringe candidates who then go on to lose elections by record numbers.

For example, in Louisiana, fringe candidate Robert Maness is challenging conservative Congressman Bill Cassidy (LA-6) for the GOP nomination, even though Cassidy has excellent ratings from Citizens Against Government Waste, ATR, Heritage Action for America, the American Conservative Union, the NRA, Gun Owners of America, the Eagle Forum, the National Right to Life Committee, and numerous other conservative organizations. Cassidy was well on track to defeating Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu… but now he’ll have to spend half of the race, and possibly much money, on defeating a primary challenger (Robert Maness) who stands no chance of beating Landrieu, a well-funded 3-term incumbent who has repeatedly been reelected in one of America’s reddest states, even in 2002, a good year for Republicans.

Similarly, in Alaska, disastrous 2010 Senate candidate Joe Miller has filed papers to run again. Polls show that incumbent Dem Senator Mark Begich would beat him by a record number – 28 percentage points – whereas Begich won his original election by a squeaker in 2008. There’s a real risk that Joe Miller will win the GOP primary (as he did in 2010), but even if mainstream conservative LTGOV Mead Treadwell beats him in the primary, he will need to spent lots of time and money doing it – money and time that would be better used to fight Begich. Sarah Palin, who is also utterly unelectable (polls show her losing to Mark Begich by 18 points), is also mulling a Senate run.

Likewise, in North Carolina, Virginia Foxx is now leading in the polls, even though Cherie Berry would’ve been the most electable potential candidate (she was even with incumbent Democrat Senator Kay Hagan at 45% each before she announced she won’t run). Polls show that Hagan would easily beat Foxx, 49% to 42%, were the latter to be the GOP nominee. Sadly, Cherie Berry has refused to run for the Senate. Republicans’ only hope now is that conservative Rep. Sue Myrick will enter the race and win the GOP nomination. Myrick is just 1 pp behind Hagan.

And in Michigan, leftist libertarian Congressman Justim Amash, who has been in office for a little more than 2 years, is now seriously mulling a Senate run, even though polls show him losing to likely Dem nominee Gary Peters by a wide margin. (Although part of me would like to see Amash nominated, so that he’d then get crushed in the general by Gary Peters and lose both the Senate race and his House seat. A Congress without Amash will be a better Congress.)

In Georgia, things are even worse. Not one, but TWO utterly unelectable, fringe candidates – Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey – are running to replace outgoing conservative Sen. Saxby Chambliss. Gingrey has a history of putting his foot in his mouth (e.g. he defended Todd Akin and said that women should be trained for “typical feminine roles” like tending to children and cooking rather than working), but Broun is even worse. His signature statement is “All that stuff I was taught about evolution, embryonics, the Big Bang theory, all that stuff is lies straight from the pit of hell.” Broun and Gingrey are nothing but clones of Todd Akin. If, by some disastrous accident, one of them wins the nomination, they will make another Akin-like gaffe about pregnancy from rape and throw an otherwise easily winnable seat away.

In some other states, Republicans have failed to recruit top-tier candidates, or in some cases, any candidates at all.

In Iowa, all to-tier Republicans have declined to run: Kim Reynolds, Gov. Terry Branstad, and Rep. Tom Latham (a mainstream conservative who represents a centrist, R+1 district). Republicans’ only hope is that one of them will reconsider and jump in.

In New Hampshire, no Republican has jumped into the race, despite Jeanne Shaheen being an extremist, a poorly funded incumbent (with only $300,000 in the bank), and being deeply embroiled in the IRS scandal (Shaheen was one of the ten Dem Senators who urged the IRS in a letter to persecute conservative groups). Scott Brown is only grousing about joining the race, and even he would start the race 4 pp behind Shaheen.

In Arkansas, Republicans have so far failed to recruit any candidates. Conservative Congressman Tim Griffin has declined to run. It remains to be seen whether conservative Rep. Tom Cotton or LTGOV Mark Darr jumps in. Cotton would be a great challenger for incumbent Dem Senator Mark Pryor; he’s only 1 pp behind the incumbent Democrat and is beloved by the GOP base. Pryor is the only statewide Dem official in AR, an increasingly red state, and will now have to face voters for the first time since voting for Obamacare.

In Virginia, Republicans have likewise failed to recruit any credible challenger for Mark Warner.

In Colorado, similarly, Republicans have failed to recruit any credible candidate against incumbent Democrat Mark Udall. The most credible potential candidate, former Governor Bill Owens, remains noncommittal so far.

In Oregon, likewise, Republicans haven’t found anyone to run against weak incumbent Jeff Merkley, and in Montana, two unelectable GOP candidates have declared, while former Governor Marc Racicot – the only candidate with any chance to beat likely Dem nominee Brian Schweitzer – has not declared yet. Even if he does run, though, Schweitzer will be difficult to beat.

Thus, it is likely Republicans will piss another completely winnable election, with an opportunity to win 10 seats on net and create an unbeatable 55-45 majority. Such a huge win is necessary – winning 6 seats on net will not suffice – because in 2016, the Democrats will have the upper hand: more Republicans than Democrats will be up for reelection, and most Republicans will be running in purple states like Florida, Ohio and New Hampshire, while most Dems up for reelection that year will be running in safely Democratic states like California, New York, etc.

The situation can still be turned around – Republicans can still win this election – but to do that, they must utterly reject all unelectable, extremist candidates, recruit and shepherd quality candidates, and do everything to win the forementioned 10 states’ seats. There isn’t much time to do so. The time to win the Senate is now.

To win the Senate, Republicans must nominate the following candidates:

AK: Mead Treadwell

AR: Tom Cotton

CO: Bill Owens

GA: Jack Kingston or Karen Handel

IA: Terry Branstad or Kim Reynolds (if either of them can be convinced to run)

Parts I and II of this series briefly described what an Article V Convention is, and some compelling reasons for the States to call for one. This missive will propose ideas for numerous amendments to our Constitution, the purpose of which is to restore the principles embodied in the document when it was first ratified.

Founding Principles

The United States of America was intended to be a land where the principles of liberty and justice for all were paramount. What is meant by liberty? Merriam-Webster defines liberty as:

1 : the quality or state of being free:
a : the power to do as one pleases
b : freedom from physical restraint
c : freedom from arbitrary or despotic control
d : the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges

The right of ownership of one’s labor and property is implied in the concept of liberty, as is the concept of personal responsibility. When labor and property are confiscated at the point of a gun, whether by burglar, tax collector, or slave owner, liberty ceases to exist. When it is possible for one group of people to take by force, the fruits of the labor of another simply because the first group says they need it, or an intermediary says so on their behalf, we have returned to indentured servitude. It matters not how well-meaning the intermediary may be. Neither should the intermediary be able to use the threat of confiscation of property or labor to manipulate behavior, yet the current mishmash of federal tax code does just that. Neither Congress nor the Administration will ever voluntarily give up the power to control via the tax code. Yet ultimately, it is the power of the purse that allows the people to control the government, or the government to control the people.

Taxation and Spending

Ultimate control is why the US Constitution gave the power of the purse to “The Peoples House”, the House of Representatives, rather than the house of the States’ Representatives, the Senate.

An additional protection against a tyrannical government was in the area of taxation. Prior to ratification of the 16th Amendment in 1913, any tax on income had to be of the flat-tax variety, apportioned equally among the states, thereby preventing redistribution and manipulation.

Ideally Federal revenues would be voluntary, giving the people the direct power of the purse. Voluntary contribution, however, would lend itself to abuse by allowing the wealthy to manipulate the government. The closest the country could hope to get to an all voluntary tax would be a tax on consumption, or something akin to the “Fair Tax”.

Congress shall not levy any tax on income or property, regardless how derived, nor shall congress impose any tax on estates greater than 5%. Congress may levy a tax on sales, the total of which shall not exceed 15% of the national economy. Such sales tax must be uniform across all products and services except that food necessary for living be exempt. Also the first $500.00 (indexed for inflation) of any single purchase of clothing be exempt, the first $250,000.00 (indexed for inflation) of the purchase of a primary residence or the first $1,500.00 (indexed for inflation) of monthly rent on a primary residence shall be exempt.

An amendment requiring a balanced budget. The text of S. J. Resolution 10 from the 112th Congress would do as it requires super majorities in both houses to raise taxes or borrow money and limits expenditures to 18% of GDP.

Representation

The original intent for Congress was that one house, The House of Representatives, should represent the people while the other house, The Senate, should be the voice of the State Legislatures. That system worked well for 100 years. It was thought, correctly as it turns out, that for the States to retain their power and sovereignty, their legislatures had to be represented directly in the Federal Government. If not, the Federal System would encroach on the States’ rights and eventually overwhelm them. To safeguard the States, the Constitution required Senators to be elected by the legislatures in each of the several States, thereby dividing power between the State Houses and the people.

To insure the people were properly represented, each member of the House of Representatives was to represent no more than 30,000 voters. By limiting the number of voters a congress person could represent, it was thought that people would have adequate access to their representatives and would be better represented. Today one congress person represents roughly 700,000 people. Is it any wonder they spend all their time chasing campaign contributions?

The campaign season has also extended to the point where it is continual. Politicians who have been in office for decades have built up massive war chests of campaign cash and have entrenched themselves with constituent service to the point where they are very difficult to defeat. Our politicians were meant to be public servants for a limited period of time, and then return to private life.

Re-apportion congressional districts and extend the House of Representatives to 870 seats.

Except as expressly provided for in the Constitution, Congress shall pass no law which exempts members of Congress or any of their staff from any law.

Executive Branch Overreach

Increasingly, the administrative departments of the Executive Branch have been putting in place rules and regulations that have the force of law. The bureaucrats making the rules were not elected nor have they been accountable to anyone, other than the President.

Congress has abdicated its responsibility to legislate, happily passing on this function to the aforementioned agencies. Often these rules have adversely affected large segments of the population, yet the people have been powerless to stop them.

Congress has also abdicated its responsibility with regard to military action. The Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, not the President. Even the War Powers Act, which many believe to be unconstitutional, requires the President to seek advise and consent from Congress within sixty days of beginning hostilities, yet two years later bombs are continuing to drop in Yemen. The President has yet to seek approval from Congress for that action.

Possible amendments to return power to its rightful place might be;

No rule or regulation issued by any Federal Agency and having the force of law shall take effect unless it has been approved by both houses of Congress by up or down vote.

Congress shall have the power to repeal any rule or regulation put in place by the Administrative branch by up or down vote in both houses.

Excepting the event of a direct attack on the United States or its territories, the President shall not initiate any military action without a Declaration of War, or Letters of Marque and Reprisal issued by Congress. In the event of direct attack, the President must seek and receive such declaration or cease hostilities within ninety days. No funds from the US Treasury shall be used to conduct military operations past ninety days if no declaration or letters exist.

Obama Care and the Commerce Clause

The original intent of the Commerce Clause in the Constitution was to make commerce regular between the States, that is, to prevent one State from charging tariffs or duties on the goods of another. Yet this clause has been used repeatedly to justify whittling away at States’ rights. The most glaring case has been The Affordable Care Act. Justice Roberts had to, in effect, re-write the law; calling a penalty a tax to avoid the abuse.

Here is a suggested amendment to end Obama Care;

Congress shall pass no law requiring any citizen or entity to purchase any commercial product or service, and any such law in existence at the time of this amendment’s ratification shall become null and void within six months after ratification.

The Supreme Court

Often the Court has taken it upon itself to ignore the original intent of the framers of the Constitution when making its decisions, thereby creating new law where none exists. This has almost always been done by a five to four vote. Matters of such weight should require substantial unanimity among the members of the court.

Therefore consider these amendments;

The Supreme court shall consist of twelve members, appointed by the President and ratified by the Senate.

Supreme Court members cannot be removed from office except by impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Court members terms shall be limited to fifteen years.

All constitutional decisions by the Supreme Court shall require at least a two-thirds majority.

States Rights

Prior to the Civil War, the United States was a collection of sovereign States who agreed under the Constitution to do together what could more easily be done collectively. The Constitution was clear in Article I Section 8 what the powers of the Federal Government were to be. All else was left to the States. This intent was emphasized in the 10th Amendment.

Through federal mandates on everything from light bulbs to toilets to school curriculum and lunch requirements, from healthcare to voting to immigration enforcement, the US government has been usurping State sovereignty and dictating policy.

Consider these amendments to return power to the States;

The Federal Government must enforce immigration and naturalization law. If the Federal Government fails or refuses to enforce said law, the States have the right to enforce the law in lieu of the Federal Government, and to pass the necessary State laws to carry out said enforcement.

The States may require such reasonable proof of citizenship as they deem necessary in order to vote.

Any State has the right to peaceably secede from the union upon passage of a resolution by three-fourths vote of the State legislatures, signature of the respective Governor, and ratification by three-fifths vote of the people of the State.

No funds shall be used from the Federal Treasury to mandate State behavior as a condition for receipt of said funds.

Religious Freedom

Freedom of religion was never meant to be freedom from religion. In fact the First Amendment specifically states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ;”. Yet the court system has prohibited the free exercise of religion in many circumstances and locations, and has all but established Atheism as the National Religion.

The following changes to the First Amendment are offered for consideration;

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, regardless of venue, and including the display of religious symbols in the public square and on Federal Property; or abridging the freedom of speech including politically incorrect speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Conclusion

The forgoing suggestions are offered for the reader’s consideration. What is important are the ideas expressed. There may well be other amendments worthy of inclusion, and the wording and inclusion of those offered in this article are certainly open for discussion and debate.

The purpose of an Article V Convention, after all, is to debate ideas in order to mold our founding document into a basis of government that works for all of the States in the Union, and their citizens. To do nothing in the current climate is to continue down the road to Totalitarianism at warp speed.

The next installment in this series will discuss the necessity of great diligence in choosing the delegates to an Article V Convention and suggest some possible conferees.

Tonight: Live…from Casa de Hammy…It’s Friday Night! Tonight, join Stevie and Steve as they pop open a few cold ones and bring in the weekend with their guests Shane Wright (@ShaneWright22), FreedomWorks Contributor, and Elisha James (@Planet_Rawr). We’re discussing the news of the week, Politics, The upcoming RightOnline Conference…and of course, our favorite libations.

So get ready for a great night, don’t forget to call in if you have something to say, and stand by…because it’s Friday Night, the bar is open, and we’re Getting Hammered!

Tonight: Hey, we didn’t make it to Smart Girl Summit this weekend, but we’re still here live at Casa de Hammy…so join Stevie and Steve tonight with guest Elisha James (@Planet_Rawr) as they talk about this weeks news, Right Online / Defending the Dream Summit in Florida, #StoryTimeWithStevie, plus, we’ll Mock the Week.

So grab a cold one and join us tonight…because it’s Friday night…and we’re Getting Hammered.

Tonight: Hey, it’s Friday Night LIVE from The broadcasting studios of Casa de Hammy. Stevie and Steve are providing their take on the news of the week, Sister Toldjah (@sistertoldjah) joins us to talk about liberal’s attacks on Conservatives, and Hammy has an epiphany!!

So grab a cold one and join us for a great Friday night…it’s summertime at Casa de Hammy…the bar is open…and we are Getting Hammered!!